2026 HSLP: Day 5
High School Leaders Program Class of 2026
Day 5: Wednesday, July 15
Reported by : Nora Baker, West Potomac High School and Callie Sun, Charlottesville High School
Today was the fourth full day at Sorensen HSLP. Our class traveled to James Madison University following an early breakfast at 7:15am. We arrived on JMU’s campus at around 9:20 to begin the day's program. Our first speaker was Angelina Clapp, Associate Director of Democratic Initiatives at the Madison Center for Civic Engagement. She went in depth into the civic leadership minor at JMU, the Dukes Vote Program and the Democracy Fellowship Program. Additionally, she spoke on the moral foundations theory. Next we heard from Amy Snider, Assistant City manager of Harrisonburg. She spoke about the importance of cultivating relationships and developing what she called “relationship capital." She explained to us that a leader's influence is only as strong as the relationships they invest in overtime. She also drew from her own career, describing transitioning from a highly political role to a completely nonpartisan position working for city government. That very shift requires her to focus completely on collaboration, less on partisanship. Our final speaker at JMU was Andrew Payton, a former candidate for Virginia's 34th House District. He reflected on what he learned from his election loss, going in depth the amount of time, and energy that goes into running regardless of the outcome. Although he didn’t come out victorious, he was able to walk away with valuable lessons that continue to shape his leadership and political career. He emphasized that successful campaigns are built off of guinéen conversations with people and not just policy positions.
After we had a delicious lunch at the JMU dining hall, we headed out to Cave View Dairy Farm. There, Gerald, the owner, showed us the area of the farm where cows produce dairy and how it operated. Our class learned that the cows get 60 days off a year to rest. We even got the chance to see and pet some calves! Afterwards we sat down and learned about the importance of good soil, carbon, and nitrogen in regards to regenerative farming. Regenerative farming focuses on practices that preserve the natural environment by doing things like covering crops. Then we discussed the importance of teaching people about agriculture and the value of food production, possible policies that would benefit farmers, and the impacts of green energy. A one hour bus ride later we retired to Echols Hall to finish up our bills for our Senate Simulation!